


Siren Song

by Kona



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Goofy Shepard, Light Technobabble, Lost in Translation, Mind Meld, Universal Translators, honestly i just want to know how the translators work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-31 01:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6449803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kona/pseuds/Kona
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The small gadget that was responsible for her not creating interspecies disasters was still whining in her ear. So<br/>when Liara opens her mouth to speak, the sound that comes out of her mouth is not English. Not even close.<br/>--<br/>In which Shepard's translator gets busted and she gets a taste of what Liara actually sounds like.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Siren Song

**Author's Note:**

> The universal translator is brought up like-three times in the series and it's never in a way that's like 'hey this is how this tiny piece of equipment works!' so I made some stuff up and made it fluffy to boot because I am pretty trashy about cute stuff.

Shepard knew that being goaded into a sparring match with James wasn’t the wisest of ideas. But, the big oaf was like a brother to her and she certainly could use with the relaxation. It was a great way to blow off the steam of world ending around her, politicians bargaining over her next move, and it kept her sharp in CQC to boot. It was all fun and games. 

That is until a sloppy block meant that she got a kick to the ear.

Her universal translator gives off an unholy screech from behind her ear and she has to suppress a yelp of pain of her own. Instead she clutches her hand to her ear, fighting the urge to rip the small piece of technology off her skin. 

“Shit, Lola, I’m sorry-I thought you had that block set.” James is instantly contrite, closing the distance between them and tugging at Shepard’s hand to see the damage. He swears in Spanish under his breath, “Your translator, it’s-”

“Busted to hell and back? Yeah, I can feel it. Shit. These things are a bitch to fix.” Shepard grumbles, batting his hand away, “Don’t worry about it, James, I’ll go see Chakwas and she’ll fix it up. Hopefully.” She watches James frown, his brow set in a worried line. She slaps his shoulder, “I mean it James, I’m fine. At ease, kiddo.” Shepard doesn’t give him time to disagree again and turns on her heels to head up to the Infirmary, grimacing all the while. 

The small gadget that was responsible for her not creating interspecies disasters was still whining in her ear. She’d always hated the thing-small as it was. She’d had it implanted as a young child, given how often she came into contact with other species, and she’d never liked the feeling of it behind her ear. She had taken it for granted until she joined the Alliance, watching some of her classmates grumble and whine about the small device that rested behind the shell of their ear when they first got them, complaining of headaches. Suddenly then, she was glad she’d had it almost her whole life and didn’t have to suffer adapting to it as an adult.

Now that her head began to throb with the sudden loss of information, Shepard wagers that it’s not a pleasant experience on the other end of the spectrum either. Swearing quietly in the elevator she’s more than grateful that she’s alone in the car. Gives her ample room to scowl and mutter under her breath about getting Vega back for getting the drop on her. 

When the doors open Shepard drops her hand and pastes a smile on her face as she passes by her crew members, nodding to them as she makes a beeline for Chakwas’ office. The door sliding shut behind her allows Shepard a sigh of relief. Chawkwas spins in her chair and cocks an eyebrow up at her. 

“A social visit, Commander?”

“Afraid not. Vega and I got a little rough. My translator is on the fritz.” Shepard admits, seating herself on the nearest bed, pointing to the offending object, “It’s driving me nuts with it’s squealing.”

“Well no doubt it’s trying to let you know it’s dying,” Chakwas’ voice is warm as she rises and takes a look behind Shepard’s ear, “It’s beyond a simple tune up I’m afraid. I’ll have to install a new one on the plate.” She murmurs with a click of her tongue. She takes her hand and gently prods the still whining piece of metal with practiced hands. It comes apart in her fingers with a small click and Shepard breaths a sigh of relief at the silence that follows. 

“Well, how long with that take?”

Chakwas looks down at the ruined piece of technology in her hands and frowns, “I’ll have to ask Tali or one of the other engineers to make you a new one, since I don’t have any on hand at the moment. That could take a few days or so…” Shepard opens her mouth to protest and Chakwas raises a hand, “But given how you need to be able to communicate with everyone on this ship I’ll tell them to rush it. I should be able to install it first thing tomorrow morning. Come down here before your morning PT and breakfast and I’ll have it ready to go.”

Shepard grins, “Have I mentioned lately that you’re a lifesaver, Doc?”

Chakwas chuckles, “Not in the past few days, no. I’ll let everyone know you’ll be resting in your cabin if they ask about you. I’ll say you have a stress induced migraine. I’m sure the effects of not having your translator in will make that a reality. So to preempt you calling me later to complain,” Chakwas hands Shepard a cup with two small pills in it, “Take these with some water and it should help you sleep and get rid of the headache.”

Shepard rattles the cup with a grin and hops off the bed, “You are a doll, Karin Chakwas.” She winks at the doctor on the way out and revels in Chakwas’ laugh as she shoos her away. She grins at her crew as she makes her way to the elevator to go back up to her cabin, even as she can feel the headache begin to grow, just as Karin had predicted. 

As soon as the doors to her cabin open, she heads to the bathroom to pour a glass of water to take her pills with. Her head throbs in protest before Shepard can feel the painkiller start to kick in. As she swallows them she hears the beep of someone at her door and has to fight the urge to tell them to shove off. She exits the bathroom and calls out though, “Come on in.”

Her irritation slides away with the door opening to reveal Liara. A smile plasters itself to her face and she reaches out to tug Liara in by the hand, “Hey you, didn’t think I’d see you once Glyph told you about that new data packet he found.” Shepard teases, reveling in the embarrassed flush that crosses Liara’s cheeks. She pecks a kiss to Liara’s cheek as the asari gives a small giggle.

When Liara opens her mouth to speak however, the sound that comes out of her mouth is  _ not _ English. Not even close. Instead Shepard is privy to what she realizes must be the asari language. The open vowels sound smooth and everything slides together in such a way that Shepard isn’t even sure where words end and start.

One thing that is certain though, is that it’s more beautiful than she’d ever imagined. 

Liara stops her response and waits for Shepard, but notices the way she’s staring and tilts her head, her brow furrowing.

_ “Shepard?” _

Shepard’s face flushes at the sound of her name. It certainly didn’t sound like that normally. Was the translator to blame for getting rid of the way Liara seemed to whisper her name? The very,  _ very _ breathy nature of it?

“Ah, um. Shit, Liara, uh…” Shepard stammered for a moment and rubbed the back of her neck struggling to find words, “My translator got fried, so I’m uh...flying blind here.” she admits, a sheepish grin on her face, “I have no idea what you’re saying, but it uh...It sounds really pretty.”

It was Liara’s turn to smile this time, a laugh erupting from her lips as she gave Shepard an amused look. Shepard rolled her eyes but kept hold of Liara’s hand, swinging it between them.

“Yeah, sure, laugh it up T’Soni. This all must be sooo funny for you.” Shepard grumbles, but she can’t hide her smile at Liara’s obvious amusement. It had been so long since she had seen her this amused-so carefree, that she couldn’t be properly miffed at the amusement at her misfortune.

Liara squeezes Shepard’s hand and pulls her down to the couch to sit beside her. Shepard watches as her eyes darken to black and feels the gentle prod at her mind begin. Her smile only grows as she opens her mind to Liara, feeling the amazed sort of amusement at the situation tickle her mind.

_ I’m assuming I can understand you in here? _

Liara’s giggles are infectious as she shakes her head and cocks an eyebrow at Shepard.  _ Yes, it is  _ your _ mind after all, Shepard.  _ Liara leans her forehead against Shepard’s and closes her eyes,  _ By the Goddess, how did you break your translator? _

Shepard laughs, and the burst of happiness that shines through the link to Liara’s mind is worth getting kicked in the head by James.  _ I was sparring with James and let my guard down. So all I can understand is English. _ Shepard sneaks a kiss on Liara’s nose and revels in the contentedness that only exists in this shared head space.  _ It just dawned up me by the way...Do I speak in Asari to you? Or do you hear English? _

Liara opens her eyes and leans back, still holding onto Shepard’s hand, rubbing her thumb across Shepard’s knuckles.  _ Well, I know a little English, from other university digs, and from studying some of your old Earth documents. And of course, from being inside your head.  _ Liara pauses for a moment though, pursing her lips,  _ But I’ve always heard you in my own language. That’s how the translator works, after all. _

_ Huh. How do I sound in your language? Strange? _

_ Well, from what I know of your language, I know your sentence structure is much different. There aren’t that many pauses in the Asari tongue. I know there are quite a few in English, because of how your thoughts move.  _

Shepard rolls her eyes, and nudges Liara’s shoulder with her own.  _ You goof, you didn’t answer my question. You went all university professor on me. _

_ Well, I  _ am  _ a doctor, Shepard. _

_ Oh yes, forgive me for interrupting your lesson Doctor T’soni, please continue. _

Liara’s annoyed huff causes Shepard to chuckle, but she still untangles their fingers so she can sling her arm around Liara’s shoulder. She scoots closer, pressing a kiss to Liara’s cheek, and Liara rolls her eyes-still sporting a good natured grin.

_ To answer your question, you sound nice. I know your voice is a little higher than mine, and rougher, but the asari language tends to take off that edge.  _ Liara rests her head against Shepard’s shoulder, and peers up at her,  _ How do I sound to you? In English, I mean. _

_ Formal. Very formal. Stilted sometimes, as if you aren’t sure what to say? Like you’re gathering your thoughts.  _

Liara pauses for a moment, and then giggles, murmuring something under her breath that sounds suspiciously like ‘By the Goddess’ to Shepard.  _ Somehow, that makes sense. Given my upbringing and profession I’ve always chosen my words carefully compared to other asari. Your translator must take those pauses and accentuate them. But then, what does my actual language sound like to you? _

“Beautiful.” Shepard whispers out loud, leaning in for a kiss, pressing her lips to Liara’s  softly, “Like-it’s like a siren song.”

_ A...siren song? I’m not familiar with that reference. _

Shepard scratches the back of her head, and shrugs. “It’s...in Greek Mythology there are these sea creatures, monsters or part god depending on who you believe, whose voices are so beautiful and tempting, they would draw sailors to their doom by crashing their ships into reefs and rocks.” Shepard can actually feel Liara grow more interested in the idea of the myth than the metaphor, so she continues, “In any case, it basically means you have one of the most beautiful voices known to man. True facts.”

Liara’s quiet laughter makes warmth bloom in Shepard’s chest, and she watches as she tries to cover up her giggles with a press of her fingers to her lips.  _ Somehow Shepard, I find that hard to believe. _ Liara response prompts Shepard to snort.

“Well then that’s just because they’ve never heard you speak Asari! Clearly they just need to hear it and then they’ll have to agree with me.” Shepard presses a kiss to Liara’s forehead at that, squeezing the asari closer, “Simply.” another kiss to Liara’s nose, “Beautiful.” and then again a smiling kiss to Liara’s lips.

It feels like fireworks in her head, with the mixture of happiness, love, and delight bouncing between the two of them. They break apart laughing, foreheads still touching. Liara’s eyes return to the deep blue Shepard was so familiar with and there’s that ever present twinge of sadness when Liara leaves her mind behind. Shepard chases Liara’s mouth with her own, pressing another kiss to it even as Liara pulls back further, still giggling. 

Placing a hand over Shepard’s mouth, Liara cocks an eyebrow at the commander, who is smiling into her palm. She opens her mouth, and this time Shepard shudders at the sound of Liara’s voice whispering to her. She catches her name, and then a string of words that sound so pleasant to the ear. By the way Liara is looking at her, Shepard knows she’s being told something good-but her brain can only grasp at straws as it fights the painkillers and sleep aides Chakwas gave her. 

She tugs Liara’s hand away at the wrist, rubbing her thumb against the pulse point before kissing it gently. “Liara, I’m not gonna lie-that sounded hot as hell. And it was probably romantic as hell too, but uh...Chakwas gave me some meds? And they’re kicking in so...yeah. I have no idea what you said-on top of uh... _ not _ knowing your home language.”

Liara closes her eyes and the gentle tug at her mind leads Shepard to let the door open freely as Liara crawled back in.  _ I can see that. Goddess, those meds worked fast.  _

_ What did you say to me?  _ Shepard asks as Liara leads her the two feet over to her bed and begins to help her with her boots.  _ I heard my name, but everything else…? _

_ Ha. Well, I’m not sure it translates well to English. It’s a very old asari platitude.  _ Liara explains, placing Shepard’s boots at the foot of her bed and unzipping the hoodie Shepard was wearing to help Shepard take it off.  _ I suppose the closest way to put it would be…’Eternity is found within your heart.’ _

Shepard helps Liara with her hoodie and has the good sense to unbuckle her belt to shimmy out of her pants. She can’t fight the dumb grin that crosses her face as Liara’s words tickle her mind. She also can’t help pulling the asari down for a heated kiss, attempting to match the heat in her heart. As Liara attempts to pull away, Shepard hooks her fingers against her lab coat. 

“Stay here tonight. The data can wait, can’t it?” Shepard can feel Liara’s apprehension, the tug to go back to work.  _ We’re running out of time... _ seemingly on repeat in the back of her head. “We can take a little time for ourselves right? I’m eternity, aren’t I?”

Liara’s quiet huff of laughter against Shepard’s cheek is enough of a win for the Spectre. The asari pulls back, a rueful smile on her face, and in a few easy movements has her boots, gloves, and jacket off and on the floor of the cabin. Her chest plate and greaves were the next to follow before she laid next to Shepard in her compressions. 

_ That isn’t exactly what that phrase meant, Shepard. _ Liara’s voice drawls in her head as the asari tucks her head under Shepard’s chin,  _ But a little break for the night sounds wonderful.  _

“Good. I’m glad. It’s-” Shepard yawns loudly, “It’s smart. And we’re pretty smart right?”

_ Says the woman who broke her translator. _

“See me compliment you any time soon,” Shepard grumbles, stilling pulling Liara all the closer. The scientist grabbed the blankets at the foot of the bed and pulled them over the two of them, and sighed. Once again, when she spoke out loud Shepard shivered, but this time Liara was kind enough to translate for her.

_ Goodnight, Eliza. I love you. _

Shepard squeezed Liara all the closer, a sleepy grin on her face. “I love you too, Liara.”

She fell asleep to the memory of a siren song in her head. 


End file.
